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On August 4, Arizona State Senator Chester Crandell was found dead. He had been running for re-election in the August 26 Republican primary, and his name was the only name on that primary ballot. Arizona does not permit write-in candidates to file within two months of any primary or general, which defeats the purpose of having write-in space on the ballots in this instance. Some states waive the filing deadline for declared write-in candidates in cases like this, but Arizona does not.

As a result, Crandell will be renominated on August 26, and then Republican Party officials in the district will choose a replacement nominee. See this story, which discusses the fact that a former state legislator, Tom O’Halleran, is running in this district in November as an independent candidate. The story suggests that these unexpected events will make it more likely that O’Halleran will win. If he did, he would be the first independent candidate ever elected to the Arizona legislature since Arizona has been a state.